Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2006-07: Alex Killorn played 26 games at Deerfield Academy and scored 18 goals with 14 and 32 PIM and was named to the Division I West All New England Team. He committed to attending Harvard University in 2008-09.

2007-08: In his second season with Deerfield Academy High-MA, Killorn scored 28 goals with 27 assists in 24 games.

2008-09: Killorn got his college career off to a fast start, registering points in 10 of his first 12 games as a freshman for Harvard. For the season, he scored 5 of his 6 goals on the power play and had 9 assists with 42 PIM and -10 plus/minus on a Harvard team that finished tied for fifth in the ECACHL and was a disappointing 9-16-6 overall.

2009-10: Killorn was the second-leading scorer for third-leading scorer for the Crimson behind linemates Louis Leblanc (MON) and Michael Biega. He scored 9 goals with 11 assists with 3 power play goals and 26 PIM in 32 games. Killorn was limited at the end of the year due to a nagging injury and saw only spot duty in Harvard's two-game sweep of Princeton in the opening round of the playoffs and did not dress for one of the two quarterfinal games against Cornell.

2010-11: Killorn was the top goal scorer for Harvard and was second on the team with 29 points as a junior. Killorn had 15 goals with 14 assists and was +6 with 26 PMs on a Crimson team that struggled to score goals and finished tied for ninth in the 12-team ECAC Hockey League.

2011-12: Killorn made his pro hockey debut, joining Tampa Bay AHL affiliate Norfolk in March after leading Harvard University in scoring as a senior. Signed to a two-year NHL contract, he appeared in 10 regular season games with the Admirals, scoring 2 goals with 4 assists and finishing plus-six with 2 penalty minutes. Norfolk captured the AHL's Calder Cup after finishing first in the East Division. Killorn skated in all 17 playoff games; scoring 3 goals with 9 assists and finishing plus-five with 8 penalty minutes. He scored 23 goals with 23 assists in 34 games for Harvard and was plus-12 with 47 penalty minutes. Nine of his 23 goals came on the Crimson power play. Harvard was third in ECAC Hockey and lost to first-place Union in the ECAC championship game.

2012-13: Killorn made his NHL debut in a February 10 game against the Rangers and steadily saw more ice time with the Lightning in his first pro season. He scored 7 goals with 12 assists and was -6 with 14 penalty minutes in 38 games for Tampa Bay. Skating with the Lightning's AHL affiliate in Syracuse prior to his call-up, Killorn scored 16 goals with 22 assists in 44 games and was +6 with 32 penalty minutes. The Crunch finished first in the East Division and reached the AHL Finals against Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids.

Talent Analysis

Killorn is a versatile player who is just beggining to scratch the surface in terms of his long range potential. Offensively gifted, he is tough to contain in the offensive zone and is consistent at creating scoring chances. Killorn is developing into a more well-rounded player in terms of playing all facets of the game. He has respectable speed and coordination complimented by a strong work ethic. Killorn is developing his awareness and anticipation skills on the defensive side of the game to match his offensive instincts. Killorn plays with a gritty, nasty side to his game and should be even more effective in this game as he adds size and strength.

Future

Long-range, Killorn projects as a second or third line forward with the versatility to play either center or wing.

Photo: Forward J.T. Brown is one of several Lightning prospects expected to have a strong 2013-14 season. (courtesy of Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman has done his due diligence through the NHL Draft over the past few years. Many of his first round picks, players such as Brett Connolly, Andrey Vasilevskiy, and Jonathan Drouin, all figure to be big components to the Lightning's success in the future. But it is his later-round picks and shrewd free agent signings that could make a more immediate impact for Tampa Bay.

Photo: Defenseman Slater Koekkoek was one of two selections the Tampa Bay Lightning made in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft. (courtesy of CHL Images)

The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season and Head Coach Guy Boucher was eventually relieved of his duties and replaced by Jon Cooper, the coach of the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Goaltending and defense proved once again to be the team weakness, as they dropped to 14th in the East, and locked up the third overall pick in this June's draft.

Photo: Forward Cory Conacher has been one of the top rookie forwards in the NHL this season. Conacher was a free agent signing by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a deep and talented affiliate in their AHL squad, the Syracuse Crunch. Several players have filtered through the Crunch recently to make it on the NHL ice with the Lightning, including: Cory Conacher, Alex Killorn, and Richard Panik. Currently, their offensive talent at the professional level is deeper than their defensive talent.

Photo: Richard Panik (14) is one of several talented forwards the Tampa Bay Lightning have in their minor league system. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

It seems that, as a general manager, Steve Yzerman can do no wrong. In his first year as the Tampa Bay Lightning's GM, Yzerman made a number of shrewd moves that helped put the team into the playoffs, and while they finished outside of the playoffs this past season, Yzerman has continued to build a winning system.